'On the other side of fear is every blessing'

Sherri Shepherd has done it all—from sitcoms to stand-up to a hit talk show—and now, she's channeling her signature warmth and wit into the world of children's books! Here, she opens up about her inspiration, fearlessness and the power of friendship

- by MELISSA D’AGNESE

Sherri Shepherd, 58, brings her pitch-perfect humor and joyful ease to everything she does—whether it’s her hit daytime talk show Sherri, her podcast Two Funny Mamas or her stand-up comedy—and she’s been delighting audiences for three decades. But through it all, she says none of it would be possible without the steady support of her girlfriends—her ‘sunshine queens’—and this very idea inspired her first children’s book.

“When you have the power of friendship behind you, you can do anything,” she tells Woman's World. “And I think kids—especially young girls—need to know this and know their own value.” Sherri’s book, The Sunshine Queens, out October 7, follows a little girl named Chloe and draws from Sherri’s life and advice from her mom. “My mother used to give me the best advice,” she says. “I channeled her voice through the mom character. This story shows people of any age that a bit of support, and love, goes a long way.”

We sat down with Sherri to talk about the feelgood story—and how friendship fuels courage and confidence.

WOMAN'S WORLD: Thanks for chatting with us, Sherri! What first inspired this book idea?

SHERRI: “Chloe’s story is definitely pulled from my current-day life, but there are touches of my childhood memories in there, too. I’m big on kids knowing their value and teaching them the strength of friendship—I think it's so important. So I thought, How can I do that in a way that speaks to them? And I realized, I could take stories from my own circle—my queens, my sunshine queens—and create something that would inspire 4-to-8-year-olds.”

WW: How about the characters? Are they based on real people in your life?